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New bombshell accusations surface nearly 1 year after toddler's death at Payless

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — It’s been nearly one year since a 2-year-old girl was killed when a mirror fell on her inside a metro Atlanta Payless store. Her family filed a lawsuit against the chain last spring.

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Now, a contractor hired days after her death is telling WSB-TV that there's more to the story.

Ifrah Siddique was shopping for shoes with her mother, her aunt and her brother inside the Riverdale store March 5, 2018.

At some point during their shopping trip, her family told us, an unsecured mirror fell on top of her, hitting her in the forehead and causing serious internal injuries. She later died at the hospital.

In the days after the toddler’s death, the store’s corporate office released a statement offering condolences to the family but did not address why the mirror was not properly hung.

"Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of Ifrah Siddique during this time of incredible loss. We are devastated by this tragic event and are fully cooperating with authorities to research and understand the nature of this accident. Out of respect for the family no further information will be provided at this time." 

Just weeks before the first anniversary of her death, two workers with Austell’s C&C Contractors have now come forward to shed new light on what may have happened that day and in the days following.

The workers said they were ordered to destroy mirrors in other stores to cover up negligence.

“My instructions were to remove the mirrors and destroy them so the little girl’s family and attorney could not get them,” one of the contractors said.

A Payless attorney said the company never authorized anyone to destroy the mirrors on its behalf.